Draft West Wickham Spring Park Management Plan.Pdf
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Management Plan 2021 - 2031 1 Preface West Wickham Common and Spring Park are two unique public open spaces owned and managed by the City of London Corporation. The two sites combined form the West Wickham Commons registered charity (number 232988) and receive the major part of their funding from the City of London Corporation. West Wickham Common itself is a relic remnant of ‘wood pasture’ with ancient pollarded oak trees harking back to a time when the woodlands were traditionally managed for harvesting timber. It sits within a wider, wooded downland landscape that extends well into the surrounding countryside and is characteristic of this type of habitat. Spring Park is similarly wooded but unlike West Wickham Common is not associated with the historical wood pasture system of management; it is instead an area of ancient woodland and neutral grassland. This too is a remnant of a much larger forested landscape which is now rare in the area. Both sites, which are separated by less than a mile, are situated in an increasingly urbanised landscape on the fringes of South London and the pressures they are under require innovative approaches to management which allow for people and nature to coexist. The City of London are working carefully to manage these two important sites, involving the local community at all levels to try and minimise the deterioration of habitats and reduce the impacts of increased fragmentation. The City of London Corporation is committed to managing the West Wickham Commons in perpetuity to ensure that tailed tit tailed they remain as truly special places. - Photo: Hanna Knutsson Knutsson Hanna Photo: 2 Long Contents Introduction 4 Objectives & 39 methodology Achievements 2010-20 5 Objective 1: Biological 40 Objective 2: People 53 Objective 3: Estate assets 61 & legal issues Site description 7 10 year work 67 Location, ownership & 7 programme status Site map 11 Cultural features 13 Access & visitors 15 Background 72 Financial situation 18 information Biological features 19 Glossary 72 Rare species & wildlife 30 City of London Open 73 Spaces Contact information 74 Vision 35 3 West Wickham Commons Management Plan Introduction West Wickham Common and Spring Park extracting timber and wood products from City of London. The other four sites (Farthing were acquired under the Corporation of ‘coppice’ woodland dating back to the 16th Downs, Riddlesdown, Kenley Common and London (Open Spaces) Act 1878. This Act century. Coulsdon Common) sit within a separate charity enables the City of London to acquire and based on their close proximity to each other and The soils and topography of West Wickham are covered by separate site management plans. protect land up to 25 miles out from the Common and Spring Park have conspired to boundary of the Square Mile. Enacted over create an environment where it was difficult to 130 years ago, the City of London has a duty do anything other than grow trees and graze This new management plan aims to to protect and conserve West Wickham animals in the past. This has ensured both sites’ summarise why, when and how the West Common and Spring Park for public survival to this day as rare examples of historic Wickham Commons will be managed over recreation and wildlife conservation ‘in landscapes. perpetuity’. It is further safeguarded by the next 10 years. It builds upon the national legislation. West Wickham Common and Spring Park are, achievements of previous plans and is part however, much more than nature reserves or of a series of documents that provide the Both sites have been influenced by the legacy of time capsules from a bye gone era; they are vision and overall guidance to managing centuries of interactions between people and the living landscapes and places for people to find both sites. environment. There is evidence that West beauty, quiet and space in an increasingly busy Wickham Common was occupied from as far and hectic modern society that is becoming The plan is also a practical working back as the Late Bronze Age up to the Medieval disconnected from nature. document to guide the many hundreds of Period. Centuries of grazing and harvesting of tasks that will take place over the next timber have worked hand-in-hand to shape what The challenge for the City, as land managers, is decade. to balance traditional habitat management was a much more open landscape that gave way to the magnificent oak ‘pollards’, heathland with 21st century expertise and expectations, West Wickham Common and Spring Park is and woodland that now support a variety of rare and to ensure that West Wickham Common and managed by a dedicated site Ranger and and declining species. Spring Park are prepared for the mounting social supported by a wider team of Rangers, and environmental pressures as we progress administration staff, volunteers and contractors to Similarly, Spring Park, which was once part of a through the 2020’s and beyond. larger expanse of manorial woodland of the protect and maintain the important features of Wickham Court Estate, with ties to the Boleyn These two sites, sitting as they do entirely within the two sites for people and wildlife. family, has a long history of growing and the West Wickham Commons charity, are just two of six Open Spaces managed locally by the 4 West Wickham Commons Management Plan Achievements: 2010-20 West Wickham Common White admiral admiral White IanPhoto: Leach Looking after the ancient oak pollards Heathland extension and translocation Contributing to national monitoring schemes Annual condition assessments of West Wickham Work has focused on preserving the existing Annual butterfly transects have recorded 25 Common’s 15 ancient oak pollards have been area of heath throughout the Earthworks and species of butterflies throughout the woods and carried out to extend the lives of these culturally increasing the area of new and potential across the heath including occasional sightings of and biologically valuable ancients through heathland throughout the site. The spreading of green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), purple targeted habitat management. heather seed and the successful translocation hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus), white admiral (Limenitis camilla) and silver-washed fritillary of young plants has already extended existing areas and facilitated the colonisation of new (Argynnis paphia) contributing to the UK Butterfly Improving the secondary woodland for wildlife ones to preserve this fragile habitat. Monitoring Scheme. Holly clearance, canopy thinning and planting of hazel within the secondary woodland areas has Showcasing the Earthworks’ unique history Green Flag & Green Heritage Award been carried out by Rangers and volunteers. The new hazel plants, along with the natural A new interpretation panel was installed Achieved this benchmark standard of world-class regeneration of species such as cherry, rowan exploring the historic origins and mystery of the and accessible green spaces each year since and birch is starting to increase diversity through undated mounds, banks and ditches on the 2012. Since 2015, the site has also attained the the woodland and the creation of sunny, open Common. Green Heritage Award in recognition of good glades has encouraged wildflowers and conservation standards of historic features in the butterflies. landscape. 5 West Wickham Commons Management Plan Achievements: 2010-20 Spring Park Brown hairstreak butterfly eggs Green Flag Award Reinstating traditional coppice woodland Achieved this benchmark standard of world- Work in the previous management plan was A full 16-year chestnut coppice rotation has been class and accessible green spaces each year delivered to conserve a diverse age range of completed in woods adjacent to Woodland Way. since 2012. blackthorn scrub for wildlife including the brown The first decade of a 10-year hazel coppice hairstreak butterfly (Thecla betulae). A total of 67 rotation has also been met and the second Diversity of habitats recognised brown hairstreak eggs were counted during a decade is progressing well. Heavy horses were survey in 2019 making Spring Park the largest used to extract timber adjacent to the Spring Park An existing Site of Metropolitan Importance for known breeding colony to Kent Butterfly Office as part of the sustainable management of Nature Conservation designation was extended Conservation. this unique woodland. to include the Spring Park meadows and pond. Proposed Regionally Important Geological & Annual hay cutting of the meadows has Geomorphological Site (RIGGS) improved the diversity of wildflowers including Planting a new hedgerow the first records of a pyramidal orchid The significance of the underlying geology at (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and the nationally- The West Wickham and Spring Park Volunteers Spring Park is recognised under this proposed rare greater yellow rattle (Rhinanthus (WWaSPs) and staff planted a 150m stretch of designation which may be confirmed by the angustifolius). hedgerow to provide a corridor for wildlife and Greater London Authority in the New London Plan restore the boundary between the two historic 2020. A geotrail was developed with the London meadows. Geodiversity Partnership to celebrate Spring Park’s unique geology. 6 West Wickham Commons Management Plan Site Description West Wickham Common West Wickham Common is located in the under Section 11 of the Commons Registration London Borough of Bromley covering an Act 1965. There are therefore no rights registered area of 10 hectares (25 acre). West Wickham over the site. Common remains part of a ‘green arc’ of In conjunction with the River Ravensbourne, urban commons, gardens and other open Ravensbourne Valley Woodlands and Hayes spaces on the boundary between London and Keston Commons, all of West Wickham and the wider Kent countryside. It sits Common is classified by the Greater London immediately above the town of Coney Hall Authority as a Site of Metropolitan Importance in the South. To the north and east the for Nature Conservation (SINC). The SINC common is bounded by the A232 Croydon designation acknowledges West Wickham Road.